On the doorstep: enjoying delicious Pakistani food in Tower Hamlets

In the first of a new weekly series in which local people introduce us to their area, we meet Jade de Robles Rossdale, 26, a creative strategist who lives in Whitechapel. She spends her time seeing old films at the local independent cinema and strolling along a marina where you can find yachts dotting the docks.

Home is…

A flat in Whitechapel in front of a little communal park in a three-bedroom flat I share with two friends of mine from Spain. We moved there in April last year.

What makes my area special is…

It is full of culture and things going on. It’s hard to find the food available here anywhere else in London. There are also a lot of clothes you can get in the markets.

Something people may not know about my area is…

It’s a really old neighbourhood full of history. One of the most famous sieges in East London’s history was the Siege of Sidney Street in 1911. It’s also known for Jack the Ripper and the biggest East End gangsters, the Kray twins. I’ve actually seen posters around about a play going on about them.

One issue I face in my area is…

There’s a problem with rubbish. My house door is right next to a wall beside a row of houses and people end up leaving rubbish around there. The minute you have that much rubbish you’ve got foxes and rats. I called the Council and they said it’s the responsibility of the owner’s agent to ensure we have the right bins, but the agent said it was the Council’s responsibility. However, on the plus side, I have seen the situation improving in the past few days!

My go to spot is…

Tayyabs, which is one of the best Pakistani restaurants in London. Whenever I have friends that come over from Spain or anywhere else I always go there. It’s a good place to go before going out with people that aren’t from London because it gives you a sense of the different types of the communities here.

For a great night out, I head to…

Tayyabs first for dinner and drinks, then Shoreditch followed by travelling to South London. Next week I’m going to try a club in Hackney called Bloc. Also The Doodle Bar in Bermondsey near London Bridge does loads of events.

A local gem is…

The Genesis Cinema. It is an old cinema where you can see loads of old films. The other day I saw Stan & Ollie, but you can see all sorts of things there. Tickets are super cheap, about three to five pounds, whereas a normal cinema would be about £15. I went there last week and they were doing a conference there. It’s really cool to have an independent cinema close by that isn’t owned by a big company.

For the best shops head to…

Brick Lane, which is just off Whitechapel Road. There are loads of little vintage shops there and a really beautiful little book store called Libreria. Brick Lane also has a special market on Sundays and there’s also a beautiful flower market off Columbia Road.

To find the best view I head to…

Primrose Hill in Camden. East London is generally flat, but I’ve heard Duck and Waffle is a restaurant you can go to at any hour and see the city from there. I really like the Marina Docks, it gives you a bit of a different London, and it is bizarre because it is full of yachts which slightly confuses me in London.

On a typical Sunday I…

Walk around Regents Park and then go back to Whitechapel for a drink at the pub. I also like to walk around Brick Lane or go to the Genesis Cinema.